Ford reveals Lincoln standards set to be met by dealers this year
By Andrew, 07 Feb, 2011. 0 Comments
2011 Lincoln MKT
Ford revealed today the standards that every 1,100 remaining U.S. Lincoln dealers must meet by the end of the year in order to continue selling the brand. We have to admit that some of them are really interesting. First requirement, is what Lincoln calls “owner privileges”, and means that each dealer must provide a free car wash and loaner vehicle to owners who come in for service. Moreover, each Lincoln dealer must have a dedicated service manager and dedicated sales staff.
One interesting requirement is having only the word “Lincoln” appear on all franchise signage and not Mercury, as you may know already that the Mercury brand was discontinued on December 31. One last requirement would be having at least 30 percent of used-vehicle inventory be certified pre-owned vehicles.
“We believe everything we're laying out is more than reasonable compared to our competitors,” said Christian Bokich, a Lincoln spokesman. Regarding the requirements, some Lincoln dealerships said that it will be a tough challenge for smaller stores to comply with the changes. Still, Ford will keep its decision and said that all Lincoln dealers are expected to meet the demands by October 1 or sell their franchises back to Ford. [via autonews - sub. required]
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